1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector that provides a card edge interface for a flex film electrical circuit, and to a cable assembly using the connector.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A flex film electrical circuit comprises a flexible film substrate such as a polyimide sheet that has circuit traces etched thereon. The flex film circuit may be terminated to a card edge type electrical connector that permits the flex film circuit to be repeatedly connected to, and disconnected from, other electrical components.
In a standard flex film card edge connector, the flexible film having circuit traces thereon is sandwiched between a pair of rigid circuit board substrates each having conductive pads on respective outer surfaces thereof. The circuit board substrates have plated vias that electrically connect the circuit traces on the flex film to the conductive pads on the circuit boards. This structure provides a card edge interface for mating with a card edge receptacle connector.
A problem with the standard flex film card edge connector is that the rigid circuit boards generally contain embedded glass fibers which result in an abrasive surface that causes significant wear on mating contacts in the receptacle connector. Another problem is that the vias in the circuit boards must be drilled and plated in manufacturing steps that add to expense.
There is a need for a flexible film connector that overcomes these problems.